The Blog

Have you ever noticed that when you try to do almost anything, you start running into one road block or dead end after another?

When that happens, do you start wondering if what you want to do is meant to be? Is it even possible to get where you want to go?

Sometimes, things are much harder than we expect them to be. In fact, it can be so difficult that something we were once passionate about starts to look like a bad idea.

As you travel through life's desert, the path you are on will, at some point, be blocked or appear to end. Each time this happens, you will have to choose another way. Which path will take you where you want to go? Which road will lead you closer to your destination?

As we study the paths, one way seems so right it can't be wrong. It's the path we choose when we've done all we can and don't know what else to do.

It's called the Path of Least Resistance.

And though it often looks like the only choice, is it really the right one?

Corporate America, here I come.

Last week, I wrote about being willing to do what it takes for success. I told the story of a time in college when I became so discouraged trying to earn a degree in music that I changed my major. Even though I finished my music degree anyway (only because I had so many course credits that I elected to complete it), I gave up on my dream of being a professional musician. I wasn't willing to do what it takes because it was just too difficult.

That's when I chose the Path of Least Resistance.

I decided I would be perfectly content working from nine to five, punching the clock, and climbing the corporate ladder. I didn't want the stress of trying to do something difficult - like being in the music business. I didn't want to struggle with rejection or worry about having a stable income.

The solution to all my problems was located somewhere in the Jungle of Corporate America.

Or so I thought.

The next job will be better.

After college, I moved back to my hometown to get a job. I traded my drum sticks for fountain pens and took my place in the real world - an eight-by-ten cubicle tucked away in the corner of a local office building. I was finally starting my career. Now, I could go on living a normal life like everyone else.

But soon after starting on the path, I hit a road block that caught me completely off-guard.

The job was hard.

While I didn't expect everything to be easy, I did believe that everything would fall into place if I showed up on time and did what was asked of me. I couldn't have been more wrong.

Instead, it got tougher. The demands of my position grew beyond my ability to cope. I became overwhelmed by everything. Meeting sales goals, trying to close deals, intra-office competition, and a lot of other trials and tribulations kept me wrapped in anxiety. A few years of that was enough for me. I decided to get out of that place and away from those people.

So, I did the only thing I knew to do. I started looking for another job - another path. The next one had to be better, right?

Life is hard.

The next job wasn't better. If anything, it was just as difficult as the first one. After several years of working in the business world, I finally realized something. Life is hard.

I found a new respect for the working class. Regardless of what color collar you wear - blue or white - making your way in the world is tough. You have to deal with rejection. You have to worry about how the bills are going to get paid. You have to worry about job security.

But wait - didn't I want a "regular job" so I wouldn't have to worry about all of those things? Wasn't the Path of Least Resistance supposed to lead me to a safer, easier place?

Where does the Path of Least Resistance take you?

For a long time, I defined a "regular job" as one I didn't hate, that paid the bills, and with little or no expectations. I believed that a regular job would be easier than trying to pursue something I was passionate about - like becoming a professional musician. In fact, for years, I lived my life that way. I believed choosing the Path of Least Resistance meant everything would (and should) be easier.

I took the job that would have me, instead of going after the job I wanted.

I chose the relationship with the girl who would date me, instead of going after the relationships I wanted.

I hung out with the friends who wanted to hang out with me, instead of carefully choosing my associations.

It was a long time before I realized that the Path of Least Resistance wasn't making life easier for me. It was making is harder.

If you go down the wrong path long enough, you can get lost. The path narrows and grows darker. You begin to lose your sense of direction. And if you don't do something before it's too late, you'll run out of daylight.

That's what happened to me. I stayed on the Path of Least Resistance too long. I found myself running out of daylight, not knowing north from south, east from west. Every direction looked the same. It was getting darker and I was becoming food for the wolves.

When you reach that point, the only thing that can save you is a guide - someone to come get you and lead you out of the woods.

My guide showed up and rescued me. God came to the rescue and led me out of the woods. He took me off the path I was on and put me on safer ground.

There's a big difference between the way that looks simple and easy (the Path of Least Resistance), and the path God has for you.

If you're lost and keep running into one dead end after another, ask God to come get you and put you on the right path. He will, and though it won't always be the easiest road to walk, you can be sure it's the right direction.

Don't do as I did. For so long, I chose what appeared to be the easy way. I allowed life to choose for me, instead of seeking God for the path I should take.